Stratasys and Hexagon partners leverage 3D printing solutions for plastics

Stratasys is partnering with Hexagon’s manufacturing division to help develop a new solution for manufacturers in the aerospace division to boost trust in the performance,

and safety of 3D printed plastic parts and compress time to market.

The partnership will be providing virtual engineering and manufacturing support and with this, customers will reduce their two to three years time factor of designing and testing to 2 quarters of a year.

The partnership also allows users of Stratasys’ ULTEM 9085 filament to use Hexagon’s Digimat material software to estimate the performance of printed parts.

ULTEM 9085 filament is used to develop aircraft interior parts,

including pieces for cable routing, bracketry, cover and duct components all of these are critical to meeting stringent certification,

Since 2014, FDM technology in this application has been used by Airbus.
The materials are also used in cosmetic aircraft interiors by customers,

This includes a client portfolio like Diehl aviation,

The material has been used by Diehl aviation to create curtain headers that divide cabin classes for the Airbus A350.

The importance of certification requirements cannot be overemphasized in evaluation, and the need for materials to meet these certification standards is paramount.

The UTEM 9085 resin is flame retardant,

High-performance thermoplastic with a high weight to strength ratio,

good heat resistance and shock strength.
it also possesses favourable flame, smoke and toxicity characteristics.

Digimat

The software would provide engineers with a validated tool for analyzing the mechanical performance of the material in a product design when printed with dual compatible printers.

The Digimat provides predictions on how parts made from ULTEM 9085 filament would act when used using Certifed Stratasys printers.

How is this possible?
It is made through, a highly virtual material designed by both companies,

through physical testing that includes,

detailed information about the material’s internal microstructure.

the software’s helps manufacturers avoid defects such as delineation of warpage of a part and analysing the print time,

and cost of material for the proprietary printer tool paths of these machines to attain an excellent result.

These solutions provide numerous advantages to aerospace engineers which include,

Increased confidence:

regulations and certifications of materials in aerospace are very important,

but with Digimat, engineers gain access to a trusted analytical tool that can predict a part’s behaviour with confidence.

Reduced timescale

The Digimat reduces the timescale of development and introduction of new parts- through the improvement and understanding of material performance and reduction of the number of physical prototype iterations.

Furthermore,

, Since they can explore more Iterations of a part in less amount of time, engineers can attain a better understanding of what works on a market.

The Digimat enables engineers to validate that a part can be 3D printed,

and make utmost use of materials to lightweight aircraft or spacecraft.

Scott Sevcik, vice-president of, aerospace business segment for Stratasys added:

“The dual needs to make complex parts lighter and produce low volumes economically has meant that aerospace has pulled 3D printing towards production,

and put the sector ahead of the curve in the use of technology.

But this also means it’s the first industry to identify several challenges,

a key one being the need for a digital toolset to provide confidence in 3D printed parts.

Our partnership with Hexagon is a big step forward in solving that, as it gives engineers the same upfront design intelligence for 3D printing,

that they have for traditional processes.”

Source: Hexagon, Stratasys